Rodent exterminator



March 23, 1954 Z E 2,672,705

RODENT EXTERMINATOR Filed Feb. 21, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet l Haber!INVENTOR,

March 23, 1954 R. BENZIE RODENT EXTERMINATOR Filed Feb. 21, 1952 Fig. 3

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 1 88m INVEIVTUR.

Amway:

Patented Mar. 23, 1954 1UNIJITIE'LD O FFIEE 12,672,705I".YROIiEN'IY"EXTERMINATOR Rob'enf Benzie, Auburn, Calif.a.implicationFebruary 21, 1952,, Serial N 622721762 --"9" Claims.(01143- 125) This invention relates to a rodent exterminator sand.-.par'ticularly to. a. device v for' eliminating gophers.

\ The control of rodentssuch as gophers" hasb'een .extremely difiicultbecause (of the .habit' of gophers. (#When a gopherifinds .his burrowdisturbed andsaneopeninglblocked therein he immediately turns. aroundand throws a great deal of "dirt and other rubbishinto the. breech .tocompletely seal the tunnel-and makes. anew tunnel. therearound. t.Forithisl-reasom'. it. isaextren iely hard .to' 1 catch gophers in Ordinarytraps as they" sagas-11mv.cient distance.away.from .the trigger'eleme'nt so lthatlthey areseldoni if ever caught.

JIhe presentinvention makesnoiefiort to catch i the "gopher. in l a1so-o'a11ed trap arrangement, 'biut .provides an-arrangement, by whichclouds of gas Ware: distributed; throughthe burrows because ofmtheipresencaof a gopher and thegopher is exterminatedlbecausenof the,presenceiof the. gas 1 1 -rather .thanrbeinacaughtin a trap.

-='I!he apparatus accordingtothe present invention comprises aplatform-to .beseton the ground and a triggersto be,extended intothe-gopherrburroweandaa holder foraans ampule: of deleterious gas which:18 to -.be broken:whenetheygopher ;.throws dirt againstthe trigger.

"Accordingly an t object of this. invention. is to provide arodentzexterminator. #It is further object: of. thisinvention to providea; a='=rodent-:-exterminat0r utilizing-@gasitouextermivnate-rodents.

It issstillanotheraobjectof this inventiomto provide arodentexterminator having means/for .r. breaking a vial of gas.

It is a .further objector. thisdnventiontoypro- :vide: an exterminator.which cans be operated by l the. throwing of dirt-against a trigger.

a Other objects and many of the .attendeintiadvantages ofthisinventionwill be apparentirom the .detailed description takenv inconjunction uWith the accompanying drawingsliniwhich:

Figure 1 is a front elevation ofithe rodent con- ,..-troller. in setposiltion;

; Ffigurez is a side elevation;

. Figure 3;.is al-cross section takenssubstantially on Wthe, iplaneMindicatedlsby the .line? 3 -3- lof i-Eigure 1;

Figure. 4. is l a bottom. plane .Tview ..ofi..the'jcontroller; v

TFigure 5 is an, enlargedwsection .felevation through the'triggenmechanism taken substan- .tially on the plane indicatedbytheline 5%501' 'Figure 4; and

HFigure 6, is. a

perspective view "or the safety ...catch.

In? the" exemplary embodiment of the' invention a" substantiallysquaresmooth platfonh l-fl 'serves "as a', mounting for an- "upstandinginverted U- shapedframe' having a bight DOItiOI-FM MIG- a frame I?isnonstructed outof a length of flat stock material and the legs I 6"and *l 8' are twisted iatrightangles so that they-arepresented inparallel edge' to-edge relation with eachtfother.

vide'd with an aperature adj acent one enamereor Cthroughwhich passesahammer' Tod- 120. 1 The platform 10 is likewise providedvvithanaperture "in which ispro'vided a guid- 22-thr0ugh which theroast-extends. "*The'apeitur in the b'ight Abreaker 'bar24 ism'ounted onrod like guides form 5| ll byimeans of screw fasteners and 32.

" T'heguideiodsii 6. and'28" are in spaced parallel relation and'dependsubstantially vertically from 4 in" alignment with" the apertures in theplatform I0 and .the bight M. A hammer 34 is mounted "on"the"1ower endofJthe'hammerrod!!! and the endsiof the "hammered Iare provided-Withbifurca- "L,tions"136 and "38 Which"'embrace"-the guiderods 2 B "and" 2B "and has sliding relation "therewith. A

S clip W is' mounted "oii'th'e hammer 34"by anut 4 i." for "supportingan 'ampule' vial, "oricartiidge 10f gas? or other destroying chemicalsbut preferfiably atyp'e of'asphyxiating gas.

in' theportioflinterme'diate' the apertures in---the "plate" I (landthe'ibfight" I 4.2: Aspring-M is mounted 24. AbEll crank mediate theends thereof" and-has an extended "42 to lift-or retain the stopl2-torestrain move- 1 "ment of the hammer 34. The latch 5flisPivotfally: mounted .oni'the 'leg I Band "extends across. to

"the leg "13 and is. slidably engaged the-flat face of' the leg I 8..The latch 50- extends "out- 5 the tension" of the spring44 so that theextended be pulled upwardly-against therein. A pivot bar 82 is triggerholder 86 so that the upper end of the rod 94 and across.

locked in position by means of the notch 52 in the latch bar 50.

Since cyano-gas and many of the other rodent exterminators are extremelydangerous to persons it is desirable to provide a means by which thelatch 59 may be locked in safety position so that the hammer 3d cannotbe released to break the ampule against the breaker bar 24. For thispurpose a safety detent 6G is provided with a longitudinal L-shaped slot62 which is mounted on a pivot pin cs rigidly secured in the leg 18 ofthe frame H2. The safety detent it can be rotated about the L-shapedslot 82 and the pivot pin extended into the offset portion at so thatthe safety detent til will be in firm engagement with the top of thelatch 50 so that it cannot be moved to release the end 52 of the pawl46. When it is desired to release the safety detent after theexterminator has been set the detent 6% can be rotated about the pin eduntil the pin 64 is in the longitudinal bight of the slot 62 and thedetent can be slid laterally in transverse position to the leg it sothat it remains completely out of contact with the latch 53 and theexterminator can be operated.

The trigger mechanism of the exterminator comprises a guide cylinder orchannel it rigidly secured to the platform it by any suitable means suchas the ears i 2 and 14 which can be welded or riveted to the platformIt. A cross-head it having upturned guide portions it is slidablymounted in the guide it for longitudinal motion mounted transversely ofthe guide channel iii preferably secured by suitable means such as a nut84. A trigger support 86 is mounted on a sleeve 85 which is mounted onthe pivot rod 82. The trigger S8 is rigidly mounted on the end of thetrigger support at by any suitable means such as a rivet 99. A crank $2is rigidly secured to the when the trigger is oscillated about the pivotrod 82 the crank as will be operative to lift the cross-head 16 andcause it to move longitudinally in the guide channel 10.

The latch operating rod 94 is rigidly secured to the cross-head it andextends through an aperture 95 in the platform it. A bracket 98 ofL-shaped formation is secured on the latch 58 by any suitable means suchas the screw Hit. The bracket 98 is provided with an aperture IE2through which the top end of the latch operating rod as extends. Anadjustable contact stop I04 is mounted in threaded engagement withbecause of its threaded engagement with the rod 9:] may be adjustedlongitudinally along the rod 94. When the cross-head i is reciprocatedin the channel it the rod t l will be projected upwardly through theopening in the bracket 98 and the stop Hi4 contacts the bracket 93 afterwhich further progress of the rod $4 will lift the latch Sfi anddisengage the notch 52 from the end 54 of the pawl it. In the operationof the exterminator according to the invention the run of the rodentwill be located and an opening made so that the trigger 88 may be freelydistended there- A portion is also dug out alongside of the burrow sothat the breaker bar 24 may be extended adjacent thereto. The hammer rod2% will be withdrawn by the handle 53 and the pawl 45 engaged in thenotch 52 of the latch 553 which will be held in safety position by meansof the safety detent 6D. A vial, ampule or cartridge of poison gas HE)will be placed in the clip 4i} and the exterminator will be placed inposition after which substantial light sealing engagement with suitablepacking will be made around the channel It so that the rodent will notbe apprised of the presence of the exterminator until he comes into theimmediate vicinity thereof. After the exterminator has been set thesafety detent will be released and the exterminator will be in operativeposition. When the rodent discovers the obstruction in his burrow hewill as usual turn around and start throwing dirt thereagainst. Theimpact of the dirt against the trigger 88 will release the latch as sothat the hammer 34 will drop against the breaker bar 24 and crush theampule of gas H9, poisonous gas will then penetrate the burrow of therodent and cause the destruction thereof.

It will thus be seen that while certain rodents such as gophers have atendency to remain at a safe distance from the ordinary spring traps thepresent invention will release poisonous gas which will effectivelydestroy the rodent.

For purpose of exemplification a particular embodiment of the inventionhas been shown and described according to the best present understandingthereof, however, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art thatmany changes and modifications can be made therein without departingfrom the true spirit of the invention.

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. A rodent exterminator comprising a platform, a breaker bar, a pair ofparallel spaced apart guide rods firmly secured to said platform, saidguide rods securing said breaker bar in dependent spaced relation tosaid platform, a hammer adapted to strike said breaker bar, said hammerincluding bifurcated end portions slidably mounted on said guide bars,resilient means urging said hammer toward said breaker bar, a latchrestraining movement of said hammer, an ampule clip adapted to supportan ampule in alignment between said hammer and said breaker bar, atrigger guide rigidly secured to said platform, a trigger pivotallymounted on said guide, and a push rod operatively connected between saidtrigger and said latch to release said hammer in response to movement ofsaid trigger.

2. A rodent exterminator comprising a platform, a breaker bar, a pair ofparallel spaced apart guide rods firmly secured to said platform, saidguide rods securing said breaker bar in dependent spaced relation tosaid platform, an ampule breaking hammer, said hammer includingbifurcated end portions slidably mounted on said guide bars between saidplatform and said breaker bar, resilient means urging said hammer towardsaid breaker bar, a latch restraining movement of said hammer, ampuleclip adapted to retain an ampule in position between said harm mer andsaid breaker bar, a guide channel mounted on said platform, a cross-headmounted in said channel, a push rod secured to said crosshead, said pushrod being operatively connected to said latch whereby movement of saidcrosshead causes said latch to release said hammer, a trigger pivotallymounted in said guide channel, and a crank member rigidly secured tosaid trigger and operatively engaging said cross-head for causingmovement of said cross-head in response to movement of said trigger.

3. A rodent exterminator comprising a platform, a breaker bar, a pair ofparallel spaced apart guide rods firmly secured on said platform andsecuring said breaker bar in dependent spaced relation to said'platform;ahammefslidably mounted om said gu-ide'rods-rssaid hammer includingbifurcated end portions mounted .1 on ersaidrauideabars, resilientmeansrurgingwsaidhameumerytoward said breaker ban atlatch-irestraining.nmovementiof said hammenian ampule clip; adaptiiied toaretain an ampulein theiipath ofymonement between said hammer and said breaker bar, aguide channel mounted on said platform, a crossto said cross-head, saidpush rod being operatively connected to said latch to release said latchis response to movement of said cross-head, a trigger pivotally mountedin said guide channel, a crank member rigidly secured to said triggerand operatively engaging said cross-head, and an adjustable connectionbetween said push rod and said latch.

4. A rodent exterminator comprising a platform, an inverted U-sha-pedframe mounted on said platform, a hammer rod reciprocatably mounted insaid frame and said platform, a stop secured on said rod, a springmounted on said rod between said stop and the bight of said frame, apawl pivotally mounted on said frame and adapted to engage said stop,mounted on said frame, said pawl and said latch cooperating to restrainmovement of said hammer rod, a trigger operatively connected to saidlatch, a breaker bar, mounting rods securing said breaker bar under saidplatform and in alignment with said hammer rod, a hammer mounted on saidhammer rod, and a vial clip mounted on said hammer, said vial clip beingadapted to retain a vial in alignment with said breaker bar and saidhammer, whereby release of said hammer will cause the vial to releaseits contents when it strikes said breaker bar.

5. A rodent exterminator comprising a platform, a frame mounted on saidplatform, a breaker bar, a pair of spaced apart rods securing saidbreaker bar in spaced relation below said platform, a hammer supportedby said frame and adapted to strike said breaker bar, the ends of saidhammer being guidedly mounted on said rods, resilient means urging saidhammer toward said breaker bar, a latch restraining movement of saidhammer, a trigger operatively associated with said latch for releasingsaid hammer, and a cartridge clip interposed between said hammer andsaid breaker bar, said clip adapted to retain a cartridge in positionbetween said hammer and said breaker bar, whereby release of said hammerwill cause the cartridge to release its contents.

6. A rodent exterminator comprising a platform, an upstanding U-shapedframe secured on said platform, said platform and the bight of saidframe having aligned apertures therein, a hammer rod extending throughsaid apertures, a stop secured on said hammer rod intermediate saidapertures, a breaker bar, a pair of spaced apart parallel guide rodssecuring said breaker bar in spaced dependent relation to said platform,said breaker bar being in alignment with said hammer rod, a hammermounted on said rod, resilient means urging said hammer toward saidbreaker bar, an ampule clip adapted to retain a frangible ampule inposition between said hammer and said breaker bar, a latch pivotallymounted on said frame, means operatively con nected between said latchand said stop for restraining movement of said hammer, a trigger guiderigidly mounted on said platform, and a trigger pivotally mounted onsaid guide, said trigger being operatively connected to said latch alatch pivotally' gara es for*releasingsaidmam-mer response wmwe' t ofsaid tri'g 7: A" rodent exterminator comprising a .E'platform; anupstanding M sha-peel" frame secufed on said platformpsaidplatform and'the bight 'of head mounted in said channel, a push rod secured saidapertures, a breaker-bars a pair iofrsspaced apart parallel' g uide rodssecuring said breaker bar in spaced dependent relation to said platform,said breaker bar being in alignment with said hammer rod, a hammermounted on said rod, resilient means urging said hammer toward saidbreaker bar, an ampule clip adapted to retain an ampule on the strikingface of said hammer, a bel1 crank pawl pivotally mounted on one leg ofsaid frame, a latch pivotally mounted on said leg of said frame inspaced relation to said pawl, means on said latch engaging said pawl,said pawl engaging said stop to restrain movement of said hammer rodtoward said breaker bar while said latch is in engagement with saidpawl, and a trigger operatively connected to said latch whereby movementof said trigger will disengage said latch from said pawl.

8. A rodent exterminator comprising a platform, an upstanding U-shapedframe secured on said platform, said platform and the bight of saidframe having aligned apertures therein, a hammer rod extending throughsaid apertures, a stop secured on said hammer rod intermediate saidapertures, a breaker bar, a pair of spaced apart parallel guide rodssecuring said breaker bar in F spaced dependent relation to saidplatform, said breaker bar being in alignment with said hammer rod, ahammer mounted on said rod, resilient means urging said hammer towardsaid breaker bar, an ampule clip mounted on said hammer and adapted tosupport an ampule between said hammer and said breaker bar, a bell crankpawl pivotally mounted on one leg of said frame, a latch pivotallymounted on said leg of said frame in spaced relation to said pawl, meanson said latch engagin said pawl, said pawl engaging said stop torestrain movement of said hammer rod toward said breaker bar while saidlatch is in engagement with said pawl, a guide channel mounted on saidplatform, a cross-head mounted in said channel, a pushrod secured tosaid crosshead and connected to said latch, and a trigger mounted insaid channel for reciprocating said cross-head in said channel.

9. A rodent exterminator comprising a platform, an upstanding U-shapedframe secured on said platform, said platform and the bight of saidframe having aligned apertures therein, a hammer rod extendin throughsaid apertures, a stop secured on said hammer rod intermediate saidapertures, a breaker bar, a pair of spaced apart parallel guide rodssecuring said breaker bar in spaced dependent relation to said platform,said breaker bar being in alignment with said hammer rod, a hammermounted on said rod, resilient means urging said hammer toward saidbreaker bar, an ampule clip mounted on said hammer rod and adapted tohold an ampule on the striking face of said hammer, a bell crank pawlpivotally mounted on one leg of said frame, a latch pivotally mounted onsaid leg of said frame in spaced relation to said pawl, means on saidlatch for engaging said pawl, said pawl engaging said stop to restrainmovement of said hammer rod toward said breaker bar while said latch isin engagement with said pawl, a guide channel mounted on said platform,a cross-head mounted in said channel, a push rod secured to saidcross-head and connected to said latch, a trigger mounted in saidchannel for reciprocating said cross-head in said channel, said latchextending into proximity with the other leg of said frame, and a safetydetent mounted on said other leg, said detent being movable into and.out of lockin engagement with said latch.

ROBERT BENZIE.

8 References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTSNumber 1,132,697 1,330,622 1,382,125 1,646,767

Name Date Uhlrig Mar. 23, 1915 Corsaw Feb. 10, 192 Schroeter June 21,1921 Schille Oct. 25, 1927

